


The Way She Smiles in the Dark

by Miss_Vanderwaal



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 21:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8260667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Vanderwaal/pseuds/Miss_Vanderwaal
Summary: Spencer enjoyed the feeling of making a stranger laugh. Actually, she realized that Mona was becoming less and less of a stranger to her as the hours went by.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write something in honor of Spencer and Mona's dynamic for such an eternity now, but I've always stopped myself from trying because they are fucking complicated and I, unfortunately, can't write complicated. Although, I've recently watched Intersect, a short film starring Troian Bellisario, and, OH, DAMN. The Spona vibes were strong. So this story is based on it, but very slightly, because even the freaking movie was complicated, with moments of anger and... weirdness (definitely very Spona). And this is, by all means, silly and full of fluff.

   Spencer knew that Hanna’s intentions were the best in the world, for multiple reasons, but she couldn’t help feeling like a third wheel at that mall. _You need to get out of your house more,_ Hanna had said to her earlier that day _, or else you’ll start moldering just like your books. Besides, Mona is also my best friend. Once you start liking her, the others will too._

   Spencer had accepted the invite to spend the afternoon with Hanna and Mona purely out of cordiality, because there was probably nothing as boring to her as looking at rows and more rows of clothes. She wished there were little rocks spreaded across the floor of the stores, actually, just so she could keep herself entertained by casually kicking them, like she had done all the way to the mall while Hanna and Mona ranted about nail polish brands.

\- _My God_ , Spencer, shut your mouth! – Hanna joked, bags already in hand.

\- Yeah, Spence, we’re so tired of hearing your voice – Mona added beside the blonde, rolling her eyes playfully.

   Spencer smiled, but kept quiet. Something about the short brunette calling her by her nickname didn’t feel right just yet; after all, they _were_ practically strangers. Mona was trying, though; Spencer had to give her some credit.  

   After they got back to Hanna’s house, Spencer – who didn’t bring any new item from outside with her except from a tiny rose quartz she found on the street – helped the girls with their English homeworks. Hanna needed more help than Mona, which was pretty unsurprising given the short brunette’s nerdy past.

   Things started to gradually not be as uncomfortable for Spencer, who began to make jokes about her own shyness and about how the urge of biting her nails all the time surpassed her wishes of having them painted.

   She and Mona stayed over at Hanna’s for dinner and the three of them watched a few episodes of The Big-Bang Theory on Hanna’s laptop after it, sharing the blonde’s bed. It was a school night, though, so their little slumber party only lasted until 1 am or so.

\- This bed is not big enough for three – Spencer claimed, heading to Hanna’s sofa bed across the room, always annoyingly full of bright colored pillows. _She only has one head!_ , Spencer frequently thought.

\- And look who says that – Hanna turned to Mona –, the cousin of Slenderman.

   Spencer silently raised her middle finger to Hanna, even though she wasn’t annoyed for real, and started putting the majority of Hanna’s pillows away in the blonde’s closet. The three of them giggled and Spencer enjoyed the feeling of making a stranger laugh. Actually, she realized that Mona was becoming less and less of a stranger to her as the hours went by.

   They all fell asleep rather quickly, but Spencer woke up for no reason at 3:08, as her phone showed. She frowned for a second when she realized that Hanna was lying alone in bed, but then she figured Mona was probably in the bathroom. She wasn’t able to go back to sleep, though, so she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling in the dark with wide eyes. _Damn it,_ she thought _, I should’ve brought a book._

   Even though she found Facebook to be just as boring as looking at rows of clothes, she checked her news feed for a few minutes. She considered playing Candy Crush but something was stronger than tamptation; the feeling that it was all way too quiet. Mona hadn’t returned yet and there was no flushing to be heard. Spencer felt a pinch of concern in her stomach and, without her consent, her brain started brooding over the fact that one could slip on the bathroom floor and hit their head quite easily.

   Spencer jumped off the bed with that morbid thought in mind and knocked silently on Hanna’s bathroom door, calling for Mona, but the door was unlocked and nobody was behind it. Spencer frowned again. Mona couldn’t have left; her sfuff was still all around Hanna’s room. Spencer instinctively went down the stairs, feeling silly; Mona was probably in the kitchen getting a late night snack.

   None of the above turned out to be the answer. The short brunette was sitting on one of the couches in the living room with her feet up, casually blowing smoke out the window.

\- Hey – she greeted as Spencer stepped closer, breezily as if thinking _I had a feeling you’d come._

\- Hi – Spencer replied cautiously, a bit taken aback by that picture. “Disappointment” wasn’t the exact word; maybe she was just surprised.

   There was a lighter and a cigarette pack beside Mona; the girl offered the second one to Spencer.

\- Do you smoke? – she asked in her usual singsong tone.

   Spencer finally took the liberty to sit on the other end of the couch.

\- Do _you_ smoke?

\- Sporadically – Mona smiled. The night light illuminated her features just enough.

   Spencer subtly rolled her eyes. _That’s what most addicts say._

\- Does Hanna know?

   Spencer immediately knew it was a stupid question. _Does Hanna have to know everything?,_ she thought Mona would say.

\- Believe it or not, she was the bad influence on me.

   Now the girl had the tone of someone who had a story to tell, so Spencer stared at her, intrigued.

\- She was the one that got me a fake ID last year – Mona added. – And one day she was pissed at her mom, wanted to do something “extreme”, which was basically code for attention, so we went out and bought two of these.

   Spencer breathed out a _wow._

\- Hanna never told us that. I never saw her smoking, actually.

\- Well, that’s because she dragged on the first one once and hated it. She threw it all away in a snap.

   Spencer laughed. _That_ was something she could picture Hanna doing.

\- And how was it for you? – she felt her tone softening. She was genuinely curious.

\- Weird, at first – Mona flicked her cigarette in the little plastic ashtray she had balanced on her thigh –, but bearable. I learned to enjoy it once in a while, I guess. Like, it’s nice for when you can’t sleep and have nothing else to do.

   For some reason, Mona didn’t sound like a ditzy sixteen year old anymore; she sounded sober like a thirty year old woman who was pretty aware of her actions. Spencer realized it would be way easier to be friends with _that_ Mona. So, motivated by such realization, Spencer moved closer to Mona, asking for a drag only with her eyes. Mona smirked wisely at her and took the cigarette slowly to her lips.

   As expected, Spencer chocked on the smoke that she didn’t even inhale.

\- Satan holds a monopoly on cigarette factories – she stated after coughing a few times. Mona simply giggled. – Seriously, there must be something else you like to do when you’re bored that doesn’t involve you racking your own lungs.

   Mona was quiet for a second. She took one last drag on her cigarette, turning her face to the open window, and put it out.

\- There is, but it does involve me using someone else’s face as a canvas. Wait here.

   With that, Mona grabbed her sfuff and went silently up the carpet covered stairs, leaving Spencer motionless and clueless on that couch. A short moment later, Mona came back with her makeup bag in hand, turning on a lamp beside the couch.

\- Please? – Mona asked like an adorable twelve year old now, with a prolonged _e_ sound and a bent bottom lip.

   Spencer said yes with only a grin, realizing at last that it wouldn’t be any harder being friends with _that_ Mona.

   The girl used practically everything that was in that little bag on Spencer; from foundation to eyeliner, as if she was getting Spencer ready for her first actual night out. At first, Spencer kept opening her eyes when she wasn’t supposed to, always causing Mona to chuckle. Then, Spencer allowed herself to gradually relax at the delicate touches of Mona’s fingers, that were like facial massage.

\- You don’t wear makeup much, do you? – she short brunette questioned at one point; her voice was almost a whisper against Spencer’s face.

   A subtle smell of menthol cigarettes was obviously still on Mona’s breath and it was the first time ever that something like _that_ didn’t bother Spencer at all.

\- I’m a feminist – she replied, almost sleepily. Mona stopped for a moment. Spencer opened her eyes, instantly missing the contact, and frowned. – What?

\- Nothing. I just think that, if you don’t like wearing makeup, that’s one thing, and it’s fine. But don’t use feminism as an excuse. I mean, colors don’t stop you from fighting against things like rape culture, right?

   Spencer smiled at that, dazzled in a way.

\- That’s actually pretty clever of you – but what she really wanted to say was _that’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say._ She didn’t because it might’ve sounded offensive.

   Mona gazed down and smiled as well, blushing a little.

\- I can’t believe you’re using red lipstick on me – Spencer huffed after a while, as she saw that Mona had a red lip liner in her hand. – Making me try on a mini dress _and_ a pair of five-inch heels this afternoon wasn’t enough for you, I see.

\- Hey, you looked like a total babe in those – Mona calmly protested, starting to contour Spencer’s lips.

\- Yeah, like a total hooker babe.

   Mona didn’t respond to that, because she probably knew that, again, Spencer wasn’t annoyed for real.

   Soon enough, as Mona switched up the lip liner for the actual lipstick, the shorter girl’s fingertips began to brush slightly over the corner of Spencer’s lips, again and again, apparently just retouching a few areas; but Spencer felt it wasn’t really necessary. She didn’t think about complaining this time, though.

   Spencer was still keeping her eyes closed, even though she didn’t have to anymore, and sometimes she felt Mona’s face very close to hers; she could smell the natural scent of the girl’s skin, her fruity hair spray. It all was making Spencer’s heart skip a few beats.

\- Done – Mona announced. Spencer heard the smile in the girl’s voice in the dark of her own closed eyelids and couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed.

   When she opened her eyes again, Mona was holding up a pocket mirror. The black strips on the bottom of her eyelids were the first thing Spencer noticed; she wouldn’t have been able to do them that straight on herself in a million years. Her red painted lips were the second thing that caught her attention; they had never looked so plumped before.

   Spencer suddenly felt like such an adult! She might as well be wearing a black choker and holding a plastic red cup of beer.

\- Wow – she gently took the pocket mirror from Mona’s hands. – It’s such a shame that I’m in my pajamas right now.

   Mona shrugged.

\- Yeah, well. The important thing is that you’re beautiful.

   The compliment went kind of unnoticed by Spencer for a moment.

\- I guess that’s the power of a good makeup artist – she eyed Mona over the little mirror and smiled, thankfully.

   Mona laughed briefly to herself.

\- I don’t think you heard me, Spence. I didn’t mean you _look_ beautiful. I meant you _are_ beautiful, underneath all that goop.

   Spencer blinked a few times in silence, staring at Mona with her lips curved into, maybe, a quarter of a smile. Only a person to whom Spencer was a loved one could’ve put such softness in those words. She wanted to say _thank you_ , at least, but, for some reason, she couldn’t get her tongue to move.

\- It was the first thing my mom taught me in regards of wearing makeup – Mona filled the silence. – “You have to keep in mind that you’re beautiful no matter what and that we put on makeup to enhance our features, not to hide them”.

   By the end of that quote, Spencer’s throat was dry and her eyes, watery. She reached for Mona’s knee and kept her palm there for a while, suddenly feeling terribly sorry for all the times she had used the words _superficial bitch_ to describe that girl.

\- Your mom is certainly very smart – Spencer stated; her words had the weight of her tears already.

   They both locked eyes and Mona placed her hand on top of Spencer’s, then going up the girl’s wrist in a gentle carress.

\- That quote is one of my daily mantras, so… would you say I’m smart too?

   Spencer simply nodded, subtly licking her lips, and waited for Mona to clash their mouths together.

   The kiss depened fast, but without losing its inicial tenderness. Mona held the back of Spencer’s neck and Spencer grabbed a fistful of Mona’s hair. They laughed, breathlessly, as they broke away, although Spencer felt tears streaking down her cheeks. Mona also looked sort of emotional.

\- You’re beautiful too – Spencer whispered as their foreheads and the sides of their noses touched. – Just like that. With no jewelry, no expensive purses slung over your shoulder, with messy hair from waking up in the middle of the night. So beautiful.

   The words were slipping out of Spencer’s mouth as her feelings were growing; so _fast_ , for once. Mona closed her eyes at the last word, as if Spencer had been the first person to notice that kind of beauty on her, ever. She laid a series of brief kisses onto Spencer’s lips before pulling away for the second time.

\- I’m so glad I got to see the amazing heart under your colegial blazers – Mona calmly stated, sounding almost sleepily now as well, as if the intensity of only a moment ago had drained most of her energy.

   Spencer had lost count of the incredibly meaningful words that Mona had said in such a short amount of time; words that Spencer never thought Mona would be capable of saying. They’ve all, especially those last ones, helped her realize that she also had her own layers of superficiality.

\- It was my pleasure – she muttered in return, while her index finger fondly traced lines on the back of Mona’s hand.

\- You don’t look your best now, though – the brunette joked all of a sudden; a playful smirk was slightly curving her lips.

   Spencer laughed, half embarrassed.

\- I know – she covered her face with her hands for a moment. – I must look like Esther after being unmasked at the end of Orphan.

   Mona laughed along, then taking a small bottle of makeup remover and a cotton pad from her little bag.

\- Come here – she took Spencer’s chin between two fingers and started removing the, now, smudged makeup off Spencer’s face.

   The moisty cotton pad was far less welcoming than Mona’s warm fingertips brushing against her cheeks, but Spencer closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment either way, because Mona was still breathing very close to her, which gave her just as many butterflies.

\- Do you wanna go first so if Hanna wakes up she won’t suspect that we were down here together? –  Spencer asked once her face was completely clean. It was meant to be a sarcastic suggestion but her fear of a possibible confirmation blended itself into her tone without her consent. 

   Mona simply roled her eyes and shook her head; _stop it_ , she silently said, while she took her makeup bag in one hand and Spencer’s hand in the other.

   Spencer noticed that they were leaving behind Mona’s pocket mirror as she was getting up. She didn’t say anything, though; she just grabbed the little thing and held it like one would hold a lucky charm.

   They went up the stairs hand in hand and, at the door of Hanna’s room, they whispered goodnight to each other. Once more, the smiles in the dark were audible. They didn’t kiss again, though.

   From the sofa bed, Spencer squinted to be able to see Mona lying down next to a Hanna that didn’t seem to have moved since they left.

   Spencer moved the pocket mirror from palm to palm and held it close to her nose as soon as she felt that she was the only one awake in that room. It had a slight smell of menthol cigarettes, but it mostly smelled like lipstick and face powder. She closed her eyes hoping that Mona would never find out it was missing, because she didn’t have any plans of giving it back.


End file.
